NOVEL NEXT Chapter 145: Foolish People
At this moment, Kaede still looked like a youth, but he already carried a hint of the future Asura of the shinobi world.
"At most three days before the other clans react," Kaede said, arms folded. "They may unite, or they may fight separately. Have you decided which clan to strike first?"
"Yeah. The Hagoromo," Kaede answered. "That clan killed my two younger brothers, and many other strong ninja died at their hands. We have a blood-deep feud. For various reasons in the past, we didn't completely wipe them out, leaving them in this world. That was the greatest mistake. And just a month ago, they tried to assassinate me. This time, I won't let them go."
A chill flashed through Kaede's eyes. Clearly, the Hagoromo attacking first had already driven his disgust to the limit.
"If we move, then do it cleanly," Kaede said casually. To him, these matters were child's play. If he wished, he could unify every clan in this world. But it wouldn't mean much—though the future can shift in places, causality stands. Unforeseen factors would eventually nudge things back toward their later course. Details might differ, but the broad outline would remain.
"Don't worry. I've already made the arrangements—and it's the same on Father's side," Kaede said with a smile.
"Then I won't disturb sensei's rest. I'll head down and help."
With that, Kaede slid down the cliff. Kaede watched him land and immediately start working with his own hands. If people of later generations saw this, their eyes would probably pop out—who would believe the Asura of the shinobi world had such a side? It truly strained belief.
…
The Sarutobi clan.
The Sarutobi ninja returned with news from the Hagoromo.
"What? They refuse to ally with us?" Sasuke was stunned when he heard it.
Once the words of the Hagoromo were relayed, everyone in the room wondered if that clan had lost their minds. Who didn't know by now that the Uchiha were no longer what they used to be? Their power had been greatly strengthened. On the battlefield they could even cast certain techniques without hand signs, giving them a decisive edge. And they fought with that enormous, skeletal-like construct—few had seen it up close, but everyone understood how terrifying its destructive power was.
And yet the Hagoromo refused. Laughable.
"All right, if they won't accept goodwill, we won't cling to it," Yang said. "Fortunately, we still have the Shimura, the Mito, and the Koharu clans gathered around us. That's enough."
Sasuke nodded.
On the other side, Hakuya had already decided to launch a surprise attack on the Uchiha encampment. News that the Uchiha were throwing themselves into large-scale construction to found a village could not be hidden and had spread quickly through the shinobi world. Many clans had their own opinions.
The Senju believed the Uchiha must be preparing something. When Hashirama heard the news, he was deeply shocked. He had thought Kaede had long abandoned their shared ideal and no longer wished to establish a village. He hadn't expected the Uchiha to be the first to actually begin building one. How could that not make him happy? If Hashirama were the Senju clan head at this moment, he might already have brought his people to join the village the Uchiha were building.
"Brother, I know what you're thinking," Tobirama said coolly, arms crossed. "Don't chase fantasies. The Uchiha will never accept us. And a true village doesn't need to be built by the Uchiha."
The words hit Hashirama like a bucket of cold water. He was dejected, but he didn't give up. After all, that was Tobirama's view—Kaede himself had not rejected him.
The Sarutobi, for their part, believed the Uchiha were planning to seize the lands of the great clans they defeated and then play the bandit—just like daimyo do after starting wars: occupy territory immediately, found towns, and draw people in to live there. In that way they could become nobility, shed the "lowly ninja" identity, and claim a noble's status. For many ninja, that was a powerful lure. So the Sarutobi felt envy, but also made constant preparations to be attacked by the Uchiha.
The Hyuga heard the news as well. As always, they remained neutral and would not participate in any struggle unless provoked. This time was no different; they made no moves.
Night fell.
Clouds smothered the moon. The forest was pitch-black, yet easy to traverse. Leaves whispered in the brush—was it ninja moving, or beasts stirring in the dark?
Outside the Uchiha encampment, all was quiet, as if everyone slept. Inside, only scattered torchlight flickered. But the night was so deep that the naked eye could scarcely see a meter around. Beyond that, the shadows grew even darker.
By now, Hakuya had led the Hagoromo's elite to the forest's edge. One step more, and they would be at the Uchiha's gathering grounds.
"Everyone, tonight is the best time to execute the Uchiha. If we succeed, you'll all be great contributors. When we return, I'll see you amply rewarded—with resources and higher standing," Hakuya whispered.
"Rest easy, my lord," his men murmured back. "We're more than ready. Rather than wait for the Uchiha to come to us, better we take the initiative and erase them. They'll never expect us to strike first—this is the perfect moment to kill them to the last."
They nodded together in the dark.
(End of Chapter)
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